"I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger, traveling through this world alone." The lament of the old folk song is etched on a stone bench at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, where the remains of those who died without family to mourn them are buried.
This week, in a service with Christian and Jewish religious officials, King County will add the ashes of 210 more people to a crypt near the bench. When a person dies without family, state law directs the county in which the body is discovered to hold the remains and search for a legal next of kin. The remains of about 250 people per year come into the county through the Indigent Remains program; many are delivered to a deceased person's nearest family member, if that person can be found. Remains will be individually labeled in case a family member someday turns up.
The dedication takes place at 1:30 p.m. Wed., March 25 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 100 Blaine Ave. NE, Renton.